A Meta-Analysis Summarizing the Effects of Pornography II Aggression After Exposure

Abstract

This meta-analytic revipW examines the effect that exposure to pornography produces on aggressive behavior under lnboratoy conditions considering a variety ofpossible moderating conditions (level ofsexual arousal, level of prior anger, type of pornography, gender of subject, gender of the target of aggression, and medium used to convey the material). The summa y demonstrates a homogeneous set of results showing that pictorial nudity reduces subsequent aggressive behavior, that consumption of material depicting nonviolent sexual activity increases aggressive behavior, and that mediadepictions of violent sexual activitygenerates more aggression than those of nonviolent sexual activity. No other moderator vnriable produced homogeneous findings. The implications of the results for theoretical approaches to understanding the impact ofpornography receives discussion, as do the limitations of suchfindings.he controversy over the impact of pornography revolves around one central issue: whether exposure to pornography T increases the subsequent probability of a person engaging in aggressive or violent sexual assaults. The underlying controversy over this media content considers the extent to which exposure to sexual content promotes attitudes, practices, and behavior considered antisocial. The harm takes place not because of mere exposure to the material; it is the actualization of the content into action that poses the threat.The current research on the behavioral impact of pornography does not use sexually aggressive behavior as a dependent measure. Such research would hardly survive the ethical scrutiny of a human subjects review Mike Allen is an associate professor of communication at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. Daw D'Alessio is an assistant professor of communication at Richard Stockton College. Keri Brezgel is a graduate of the master's program at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. Portions of this article and analysis are derived hom Keri Brezgel's master's thesis, completed under the direction of Mike Allen.

Exploring the Automatic Undercurrents of Sexual Narcissism: Individual Differences in the Sex-Aggression Link

“…A meta-analysis suggested that depictions of sexual activity increased reactive aggression in men and women (but that nudity alone decreased aggression) (Allen, D'Alessio, & Brezgel, 1995). Explanations for these findings were mostly based on the assumption of excitation transfer: Sexually induced arousal was functionally equivalent to angerinduced arousal and thus hypothesized to have a similar effect.…”

Nudity as a Disinhibiting Cue in a Date Rape Analogue

“…Finally, several meta-analyses have concluded that there are reliable associations between pornography consumption and sexual aggression; however, the evidence for the causal relationship remains equivocal (Allen et al, 1995;Malamuth et al, 2000;Seto et al, 2001). …”

“…In Allen et al (1995)'s meta-analysis involving 33 studies and 2,040 participants, exposure to violent pornography, and nonviolent pornography to a lesser degree, were found to facilitate aggressive behaviour in men and women; exposure to nonpornographic nudity, however, diminished aggressive behaviour. Interestingly, the finding that nonviolent pornography facilitated aggressive behaviour in women, who engage in aggression to a lesser degree than men, indicates that the Excitation Transfer…”

“…Though research is divided on this topic, several meta-analyses have attempted to settle the debate and have shed light on overarching trends that appear in the literature (Allen, D'Alessio, & Brezgel, 1995;Malamuth, Addison, & Koss, 2000;Seto, Maric, & Barbaree, 2001). …”

“…The Sexual Learning Theory posits that individuals learn appropriate and inappropriate behaviours through mass media (Hogben & Byrne, 1998); furthermore, pornography legitimizes various forms of sexual behaviour, including aggressive sexual behaviour (Allen et al, 1995). The Excitation Transfer Theory suggests that the physiological excitation created by exposure to pornography is transferred into anger through provocation (Zillman, Hoyt, & Day, 1974).…”